Bobby Vylan leads Glastonbury crowd in 'Death to the IDF' chant

When Bob Vylan took the West Holts stage on 28 June 2025, the live‑streamed set sparked a constitutional flashpoint that still reverberates across the UK, Washington and protest squares worldwide. The duo’s frontman, rapper Bobby Vylan, shouted “Death, death to the IDF” and the audience answered in unison, prompting a police inquiry, a parliamentary row, a U.S. Visa revocation and a scramble inside the BBC to explain how the chant slipped onto its airwaves.

The chant – a slogan that originated during the Gaza war and has since appeared at demonstrations from Melbourne to Amsterdam – was broadcast by the BBC to millions of viewers. The broadcaster later said the language was “deeply offensive” and that a warning screen had been placed over the live feed.

Media additions

"Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive."

BBC spokesperson, via BBC

Police in Avon and Somerset seized the footage, reviewing it for “any offences … that would require a criminal investigation”. After consulting the Crown Prosecution Service, the National Police Chiefs' Council and an independent barrister, the force concluded that the evidence did not meet the criminal threshold for prosecution.

"We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS for any person to be prosecuted."

Avon and Somerset Police statement, via BBC

Even as the police closed the case, the fallout accelerated. The Israeli embassy in London issued a statement describing the chant as “inflammatory and hateful rhetoric” and warned that such language on a “tens of thousands” stage risked “normalisation of extremist language”.

"The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival."

Israeli embassy, via Yahoo News

Home Office ministers responded in kind. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the incident “appalling” and a “shameless publicity stunt”, while also urging Israel to “get your own house in order” regarding settler violence in the West Bank. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer branded the performance “appalling hate speech”. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch reposted the clip on X, calling it “grotesque”. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy demanded an urgent explanation from BBC Director‑General Tim Davie.

Festival organiser Emily Eavis, daughter of Glastonbury’s founder, said the chant “very much crossed the line” and reiterated the festival’s zero‑tolerance stance on hate speech. The official Glastonbury Instagram post echoed that “there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence”.

Bob Vylan’s own response was unapologetic. In an Instagram statement the duo wrote, “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race … we are for the dismantling of a violent military machine”. Bobby later posted “I said what I said” and insisted he would repeat the chant if given the chance.

"We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine."

Bob Vylan statement, via National Post

Support and condemnation split the cultural community. Massive Attack, Fontaines D.C. And Amyl and the Sniffers voiced solidarity with the duo, while Grandson – the American artist Bob Vylan were to open for in the United States – condemned the conflation of criticism of Israel’s army with antisemitism. Jewish charities, including the Community Security Trust (CST) and the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), denounced the police decision not to press charges, warning it sent “the wrong message at the worst possible Time”.

The repercussions crossed the Atlantic. The U.S. Department of State revoked the duo’s visas, with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau tweeting that foreigners who “glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors”. The revocation barred Bob Vylan from an autumn U.S. Tour with Grandson and led United Talent Agency to drop them as clients. U.S. Politicians from Senator Ted Cruz to Rep. Randy Fine publicly decried the chant, while Justice Department anti‑antisemitism task‑force chair Leo Terrell pledged to press the State Department for further action.

Bob Vylan’s set was not an isolated moment of political provocation at Glastonbury. The Irish‑language rap trio Kneecap performed immediately after, brandishing a Palestine Action Group T‑shirt, while one member, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was already facing a Terrorism Act charge for displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig. The BBC, wary of further controversy, chose not to broadcast Kneecap’s set live, opting instead for an on‑demand release after review.

Beyond the stage, the chant’s echo has been documented in protest graffiti, from MIT’s campus to a Belgian railway carriage, and in street chants across Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The CST reported that the day after the Glastonbury performance recorded the highest daily count of antisemitic incidents in the UK for the first half of the year, describing the chants as “utterly chilling”.

Key moments in the controversy

• 28 June 2025 – Bob Vylan’s performance on West Holts; chant broadcast live on BBC iPlayer.
• 29 June 2025 – Israeli embassy issues statement of “deep disturbance”.
• 30 June 2025 – Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemns the chant on Sky News; Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy contacts BBC DG Tim Davie.
• 2 July 2025 – Prime Minister Keir Starmer labels the chant “appalling hate speech”.
• 5 July 2025 – BBC removes the set from iPlayer, issues on‑screen warning during live stream.
• 10 July 2025 – Avon and Somerset Police close the investigation with “no further action”.
• 12 July 2025 – U.S. State Department revokes Bob Vylan’s visas; Deputy Secretary Landau tweets the decision.
• September 2025 – BBC complaints unit partially upholds complaints about harm and offence, but clears the broadcaster on impartiality.

What’s next?

• The duo’s U.S. Tour has been cancelled; they remain on the UK festival circuit but have been dropped from several line‑ups, including Radar Festival and a German venue.
• Avon and Somerset Police have indicated they will monitor any further public incidents linked to the chant, though no new investigations have been announced.
• The BBC faces internal review of its live‑event protocols, with chairman Samir Shah calling the failure to cut the feed an “unquestionably error of judgement”.
• Human rights groups continue to track the rise of “Death to the IDF” slogans at protests, expecting further legal and policy debates over the line between political speech and hate.

The Glastonbury episode has become a reference point in the wider debate over artistic freedom, hate‑speech legislation and the role of public broadcasters in politically charged performances. As the summer music calendar rolls on, festival organisers, regulators and artists alike will be watching closely to see whether the “Death, death to the IDF” chant remains a one‑off flashpoint or the opening note of a new, more contentious chorus.